My wife and I are taking our first trip to Ireland the last week of September to celebrate our 10 year anniversary (and are leaving the kids with their grandparents). We fly into Shannon on Saturday morning and out of Dublin the following Sunday, so have 8 nights.

Below is our initial itinerary - interested in your thoughts. We like outdoor activities (horseback riding, hiking, kayaking, etc), small towns, a combination of upscale and B&B type lodging. We like to explore, have some adventure, find some good music and pubs, but don't mind a fancy meal or hotel now and then either.


Sat, Sun - Kenmare: Shelburn Lodge
Mon, Tue - Kinsale: Old Bank House
Wed, Thu - TBD - somewhere in between Kinsale and Dublin - riding?
Fri, Sat - Dublin: Merrion Hotel

Some questions:
1. We arrrive Shannon at 8am on Saturday, rent car and drive to Kenmare and stay at Shelburn Lodge for 2 nights. Is this two far to drive on first day? Been told it is 2.5 to 3 hours. Should we stay somewhere close to Shannon first day. Any suggestions? Any feedback on Shelburne Lodge vs. other places in Kenmare? Any thoughts on better places to stay in County Kerry?

2. On Sunday we plan to tour,hike around Dingle, Iveraugh or Bearra pennisula. Any suggestion about which? High points.

3. Any feedback on Old Bank House in Kinsale vs. others in Kinsale. We would like to go kayaking off coast near Kinsale - any suggestion.

4. Suggestion for country house, B&B, or farm that offers experienced horseback riding between Kinsale and Dublin. Somewhere in mountains?

5. Any feedback on Merrion Hotel in Dublin. Is two nights too much time? We leave Dublin for U.S. around 1pm on Sunday.

ttt for steveh

It will be about a 3 hour drive to Kenmare from Shannon. Whether or not that's too much is pretty personal. Will you have had any sleep? Have you ever driven on the 'other' side of the road? Etc. It's doable if you're up for it.
If you're as far south as Kenmare on Sunday, plan to explore Beara or the Ring of Kerry. There wouldn't be much point in backtracking up to Dingle.
There's a great kayaking group that operates out of Union Hall (west of Kinsale). Look at atlanticseakayaking.com. They provide you with all the equipment you need and offer trips of varying lengths at a very reasonable cost. We were really impressed.
I've been to Ireland three times and still haven't seen Dublin. Can't offer a bit of advice, I'm afraid.

We just got back from staying at the Old Bank House. It was very nice. Two nights in Dublin is probably about right. Dingle is great, so you might want to consider that.

thanks all for information on kayaking and suggestions regarding Old Bank House.

Would you recommend staying in Dingle and exploring Dingle pennisula or staying Kenmare and exploring Ring of Kerry or Bearra pennisula. Have read great things about Kenmare, but wondering if Dingle should be considered instead?

I am very biased in favor of Dingle. I love the town and I love the peninsula.

If you do end up staying in Dingle, stop by the Mountain Man shop on Strand St. for info on outdoor activities.